Be careful what you wish for …

If you are lucky enough to have a job offer in the hand and one on the way (what a great position to be in!)  here is some advice from recruiting specialist Tim Heard which you may find helpful.


The question at hand is -  “By the end of next week I expect to have two offers on the table from companies that are under a lot of pressure to get their positions filled. There is a third company, probably my favorite, which is not under the same constraints and is moving at a very leisurely pace. What’s the proper etiquette for handling multiple offers and how can I best use that fact to leverage the other firm to move things along, if at all?”

The answer to this question, to some degree, depends on whether one is an optimist or a pessimist, and whether the person is a risk-taker, or likes to play it safe. I’m reminded of a candidate who I interviewed for a senior developer position when I was doing corporate recruiting.  At the end of the afternoon, having met with a couple of managers and some potential peers, he informed me that he anticipated that he would be getting some offers by the end of the week, and that if we wanted to be considered, we would have an offer ready by then.  (This despite the fact that I had informed him that we still had other candidates to interview.)  Not surprisingly, he didn’t get the job, despite his confidence.
One of the things I like to do whenever possible when addressing issues like this is to try to provide you with one or more perspectives other than my own.  While I’m generally confident that my suggestions will be pretty sound, I have been known in the past to offer advice that was soundly criticized by most readers.  Offering varying perspectives will hopefully provide us with good material for discussions afterward as well.


My first subject matter expert is Bob Waldo, a recruiter and staffing consultant with a lot of years of IT staffing under his belt.  Here’s his response:  “You absolutely need to let the third opportunity know of your other activity and the impending offers. While they may not be under the same constraints, if you are a viable candidate (and possibly their top candidate) they need to know of this activity. As for the other opportunities, you inform them that you have other activity, and that you want to see the other opportunities come to closure before making a final decision, if at all possible. If they hold your feet to the fire regarding an answer, then you have some soul searching to do.”


Dan Samenus, another recruiter with plenty of experience under his belt, both as an agency and as a corporate recruiter, offered this advice:  “It does not sound like you do have the offers in hand yet — perhaps they will come together at the same time.  Right now, let your “favorite” company know your status with other interviews; let the other companies know your situation when you get an offer. The bottom line here is open communication and honesty while not muddling things in process. It is reasonable to ask for ten business days to formally accept an offer, but with the pace you state, a company may ask for five days.  Do not rush into something if you aren’t confident in a particular role/company. Leverage your best interests for the long term. Perhaps your favorite company will pick up the pace. Your situation may also allow you to understand additional positive aspects about the other companies they had not revealed initially.”


I told Dan that his response was an example of why it’s great to get more than one perspective, because I’d never suggest to anyone to ask for ten days to make a decision. My experience as a corporate recruiter has generally been that offers were valid for 48 to 72 hours. Sometimes when weekends were involved, the 2 to 3 days might be changed to work days.  Were there instances in which candidates were allowed more time?  Certainly.  However, it would be pretty rare for an employer to agree to more than a week. It all depends on the job market and the strength of the candidate, though.

One thing we all agree on is that it is important to keep the lines of communication open.  I would even say that it would be helpful to let employers (and recruiters) know up front that there are other companies in the mix.  You need to be careful about this though.  I have known candidates or agencies to try to use the existence of fictitious job offers to pressure hiring managers or to negotiate for better offers.  Suffice it to say that nobody likes to be manipulated.

Here are some advantages to keeping open the lines of communication:

• You will help to foster a good relationship with everyone involved, regardless of the outcome. Nobody likes to be blindsided by an offer or a competitor that they weren’t expecting at the last minute. Keep in mind that your career involves establishing long-term business relationships. The hiring manager you impress today may hire you several years from now, even if you don’t accept the job he offers today with his or her current employer. The recruiter who you impress by the way you conduct yourself may give you a call first when she has a choice position with a great client.

• There’s a (very slim) chance that you might actually speed up the process of the slow company.

• You might get some feedback that helps you in your decision-making process. I have been known to say to a candidate, “We’re still in the middle of the interview process, and I can’t promise an offer, but I know that the hiring manager really felt you were a good fit for this position.” What that means if you read between the lines is, “Anything can happen, so I can’t promise you an offer, but you are the best candidate there is for this position right now.” Such feedback might just help you decide if you feel like turning down a sure thing in order to wait for the company you really want to work for.


Now, here’s why you’re unlikely to speed up the process. It’s a process. Generally you are not the only candidate in the mix.  Companies are required to establish hiring processes that give everyone who’s qualified for a position a fair shot at it. So, it’s not unusual for a hiring manager or recruiter to have phone-screened quite a few people, and settled on as many as maybe half a dozen internal and external candidates who need to be interviewed in person.  Doing this often takes more time than you might assume because mangers are stretched really thin, and often candidates are too.  As crazy as it sounds, the interview process can regularly take weeks, but sometimes it can take months. Most of the hair I have lost is due from situations in which I have presented exceptional candidates to clients, only to have them take other jobs while the clients completed their interview process. I have unusual looking bald spots on each side of my head that are fist-shaped.  (Should it ever take months? No. But it still does sometimes.)


Now back to being optimistic or pessimistic. The past several years have been really rough. The fact that you are even posing this question makes me optimistic. It would have been almost unheard of, even a year ago, for an applicant to be entertaining two offers at once and have another potential offer on the horizon.  The fact is that I’m actually hearing similar stories more regularly these days. I am very cautiously optimistic that we are actually well past having bottomed out, and actually in the process of an economic recovery.  (A painfully slow recovery, but a recovery nonetheless.)  When I see Dan and other contacts of mine blog about open positions, it encourages me even more.
You are in a very enviable situation right now.  My gut still tells me that going with a sure thing is going to be the best course of action right now. You almost have to, given the risks involved if you turn down one of your current offers and the other one doesn’t materialize.  However, as Bob put it, maybe it’s time to do some soul searching.

Things to do while you wait for the job offer …..

You’ve done your homework, all the research and networking has paid off, the interviews are under your belt and now the waiting game begins.

Finding myself in this position, I’ve done some soul searching, and web searching to come up with some useful strategies while waiting for that potentially life-changing email to arrive in my inbox.

I've included some strategies from an article published by Blessy Vaidian (who promotes the idea that a successful career comes from knowing who you are and what makes you happy) which I found useful.  I hope you do too.

Do any of these scenarios in sound familiar?

• You applied for a job. You survived three sets of interviews where you had to answer 50 questions and ask another 50 to 50 different people, all while maintaining your “eager and enthusiasm” for the position. The staffers are now dissecting every aspect of their interactions with you, including the distracting baby hair that was sticking out from the right side of your head, your residual speech impediment and your professional demeanor. Or maybe they’re on vacation. You don’t really know. All you can do is wait for their final decision.
• You’re a freelancer who’s wooed your dream client for seven months and finally got a good meeting with them. You assured them how perfect you are for them and how affordable you are against your competitors. You’d even throw in a free hour of research to demonstrate your commitment. You gave them your final quote. Now you wait to see if they will assign you the project.

These grueling waiting periods are typically characterized by obsessive email checking.

Never mind the fact that Gmail refreshes on its own. You still F5 like there’s no tomorrow in between every other thing you can possibly do on the web. (A paragraph from CNN. F5. Inputting your doctor’s appointment. F5. CNN again. F5. A Reddit thread. F5. F5. F5.) Every time you see a new message your heart jumps then sinks when you realize it’s just another Godforsaken e-newsletter from Urban Outfitters. Damn them. Even when your mom emails you, you’re disappointed.

Your life becomes the email you’re waiting for.

This is unhealthy. It can do some real temporary damage to your self-esteem not to mention your productivity. Like my mom used to tell me, checking the fridge repeatedly doesn’t mean the cake you want will show up.

Instead, I offer you some beneficial and way cooler things you can do during this waiting time: 
Log into your Google Calendar. Count about a week from the last point of contact with the person(s) whose email you’re waiting so patiently for. Mark the week-after date and type in “Follow up.” If you haven’t already figured… this is so you can follow up with them in about a week. Of course if they told you they’d contact you on a certain date, mark your calendar for the day after the date they promised.
Write your follow-up email. You never know if you’ll end up with food poisoning on that date and you don’t want to produce a sloppy, inadvertently pompous or impatient-sounding email. Write it down. Ask someone to edit it. Save it in your drafts.
Read this quote: “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” — Michael Jordan
Accept the possibility of rejection and think of your Plan B. If you were already highly coveted and mind-blowingly fantastic, the company would be recruiting YOU and THEY’D be obsessively waiting for YOUR email. So simply accept that you have competition, you did the best that you could do (assuming that you did), and move on.  Look for other jobs you want, other clients to prospect. Hey, you might even find something better along the way.
Write a fantastic “You just rejected me and you might regret it but I still want to be your friend and thanks for your time” email. I think a lot of people tend to skip this part after getting turned down, but it’s a huge mistake. You still want to stay connected with everyone you spoke to at the company. After all, you did invest hours of your time with them. Not only will this show them how professional, confident and genuinely interested you are (remember during the job interview when you said you felt the “job description fit like a glove”?), but they might pull you in for something else in the future. Or refer you. In fact, I recommend adding them on LinkedIn after the rejection and continuously feed them with helpful links and resources.
Plan your acceptance speech. On the flip side, you are pretty great. There is a reason why the client or the company responded to you in the first place. So prepare for the email you want by outlining what you’ll say to them and detail the SPECIFIC next steps. If you’re a freelancer this is especially important.
Get off the computer and perform some stretching exercises. Real exercises. You’ve just spend a large chunk of time with a keyboard as an extension of your limbs. You’ll be on it again tomorrow and the day after and the day after that. Let your poor body rest. Carpal tunnel is ugly.
Play Pacman. Do I even need to explain why? If you can access the original Super Mario Bros. series, even better. Just do something you really enjoy that doesn’t involve your computer or iPhone. The only way time will pass until that email finally comes is if you immerse yourself in so much fun that you momentarily forget about your email, you hard-working maniac.

Job Search – 10 step help programme to move your job search in the right direction.

Repeat after me "the situation I am now in is not permanent. I will not remain in the unemployment phase indefinitely.  I am simply between jobs."  That's better and while you are job hunting, here are 10 things you can do to stay positive and proactive while waiting to get your job offer.

This is a guest post by Blessy Vaidian as she has captured so many of strategies I believe and use on my career search journey.  I hope you find them useful as well.  

1. Join a Job Search Group

The job search can be overwhelming. There are others out there feeling the same things you are. Meeting once a week can keep you from getting depressed, help you set goals, and can be a great way to learn new job search strategies. You can also get personal feedback from the facilitator on your resume/cover letter, and where to take your job search.

2. Volunteer

You would be surprised at how many volunteer positions lead to a job.

And even if they don’t, they lead to contacts that might be able to refer you to someone with an opportunity. Why not get out of the house at least 2x a week and offer your services in a hospital, school, or library? You can even volunteer at campaign headquarters for the political candidate of your choice or for your favorite non-profit agency.

3. Watch someone in your ideal job

I am not saying stalk anyone, but it makes sense to ‘watch’. If you want to be legal council for a corporation, go to a few public trials. If you want to be a writer, attend book signings at the local bookstore.

This costs nothing and it can keep you motivated and excited about the career you chose. And do not plan on leaving the event before at least making one positive comment to the individual that impressed you.

Conversations can go a long way if you are willing to take the risk.

4. Network in person

Now is not the time to shut yourself off from society, but just the opposite.

Join a meet-up group related to your field, go to events or conferences in your profession. Most of the jobs out there are not found in the newspaper or by blindly sending out resumes; but by networking!

Always try to look your best, and have your resume ready at any social event you go to from now on. Introduce yourself and start connecting with people in person.

5. Master social media for networking

It’s amazing how Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn have changed the job search arena. If you are not on these websites, you need to create a profile. If you are on these websites already you need be careful of the image you have created for yourself.

6. Set up a few Informational Interviews

If your best friend’s father is working for a great company or you remember someone from a party a while back that impressed you, try to arrange a meeting. Offer to pick up the tab and take them out for coffee or lunch, and simply say you want to learn about the company they work for of how they got started.

If they say no, you have nothing to loose. If they say yes, you never know what avenues open up.

7. Learn something new

“Careers in virtually all academic disciplines are fostered by being a superstar who knows more about one subject than anyone else in the world,” said Philip Zimbardo.

So now that you have all this extra time on your hand to read a few books related to your field, master that computer class you always wanted, or get the certification you know you need to make your resume stand out.

Get yourself and your resume more marketable.

8. Re-evaluate who you are and what you want

E.E. Cummings said, “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” But do you know who you are?

Job seekers can emerge from unemployment more focused and in sync with what they really want and need. Being between jobs is the perfect time to reassess your path. If you felt you were going in the wrong direction, now is the time to get on a more fulfilling road. Did you have a job in finance but want to try something different? Have you been considering going to graduate school to advance your career?

A career counselor can help walk you through the job search process, offer assessment tests of what jobs best fit your personality, or can help you answer any of those difficult questions.

9. Do something you always wanted to do

While waiting for your next job, remember to enjoy life. You might not get the luxury of having this much free time again. Use that to your advantage and do the fun creative things you have always wanted to do. This lull could be the perfect opportunity to complete a personal endeavor you have been putting off.

Have you always wanted to start your own business? An entrepreneurial assessment report from a career counselor will tell you if you have what it takes to do that. Now is the time to do the things you always wanted to do and explore possibilities.

10. Stay positive

How we define the situations we are placed in determines our action and how we are going to work towards the outcome we desire. Action is a positive force. Hopefully you have a friend, group, or family member that helps you stay optimistic in your job search. If you do not stay positive you will not be motivated to take the necessary steps to find the right job.

I am a strong believer that people create a certain energy in their job search process.

When people ask you, ‘’what do you do?” You can smile and say that you are between jobs. That comes from a sense of confidence in yourself, your resume and in the image you created for yourself.

In the end you will accomplish your goal of getting a job. But while you are between jobs, get up and stay motivated by following these 10 steps.

Read more at: http://jobmob.co.il/blog/between-jobs/#ixzz1sxiaZEI6

8 Qualities of Remarkable Employees

On my job search journey, I came across this article on Linked In posted by Jeff Haden*.  I thought it was interesting and you may find it interesting too.  Great employees are reliable, dependable, proactive, diligent, great leaders and great followers... they possess a wide range of easily-defined—but hard to find—qualities. See if you find yourself on this list.   I know I am a remarkable employee and my next employer will appreciate my skill set!

Here are eight qualities of remarkable employees:

1. They ignore job descriptions. The smaller the company, the more important it is that employees can think on their feet, adapt quickly to shifting priorities, and do whatever it takes, regardless of role or position, to get things done.  When a key customer's project is in jeopardy, remarkable employees know without being told there's a problem and jump in without being asked—even if it's not their job.

2. They’re eccentric... The best employees are often a little different: quirky, sometimes irreverent, even delighted to be unusual. They seem slightly odd, but in a really good way. Unusual personalities shake things up, make work more fun, and transform a plain-vanilla group into a team with flair and flavor.
People who aren't afraid to be different naturally stretch boundaries and challenge the status quo, and they often come up with the best ideas.

3. But they know when to dial it back. An unusual personality is a lot of fun... until it isn't. When a major challenge pops up or a situation gets stressful, the best employees stop expressing their individuality and fit seamlessly into the team. Remarkable employees know when to play and when to be serious; when to be irreverent and when to conform; and when to challenge and when to back off. It’s a tough balance to strike, but a rare few can walk that fine line with ease.

4. They publicly praise... Praise from a boss feels good. Praise from a peer feels awesome, especially when you look up to that person.

Remarkable employees recognize the contributions of others, especially in group settings where the impact of their words is even greater.

5. And they privately complain. We all want employees to bring issues forward, but some problems are better handled in private. Great employees often get more latitude to bring up controversial subjects in a group setting because their performance allows greater freedom.
Remarkable employees come to you before or after a meeting to discuss a sensitive issue, knowing that bringing it up in a group setting could set off a firestorm.

6. They speak when others won’t. Some employees are hesitant to speak up in meetings. Some are even hesitant to speak up privately.An employee once asked me a question about potential layoffs. After the meeting I said to him, “Why did you ask about that? You already know what's going on.” He said, “I do, but a lot of other people don't, and they're afraid to ask. I thought it would help if they heard the answer from you.” Remarkable employees have an innate feel for the issues and concerns of those around them, and step up to ask questions or raise important issues when others hesitate.

7. They like to prove others wrong. Self-motivation often springs from a desire to show that doubters are wrong. The kid without a college degree or the woman who was told she didn't have leadership potential often possess a burning desire to prove other people wrong.  Education, intelligence, talent, and skill are important, but drive is critical. Remarkable employees are driven by something deeper and more personal than just the desire to do a good job.

8. They’re always fiddling. Some people are rarely satisfied (I mean that in a good way) and are constantly tinkering with something: Reworking a timeline, adjusting a process, tweaking a workflow. Great employees follow processes. Remarkable employees find ways to make those processes even better, not only because they are expected to… but because they just can't help it.

*Jeff Haden learned much of what he knows about business and technology as he worked his way up in the manufacturing industry. Everything else he picks up fromghostwriting books for some of the smartest leaders he knows in business. @jeff_haden

Quotable Quotes

Take a lesson from the mosquito.  She never waits for an opening – she makes one.  - Kirk Kirkpatrick

You have to do what you love to do, not get stuck in that comfort zone of a regular job. Life is not a dress rehearsal.  This is it.  – Lucinda Basset

Success is not a doorway, it’s a staircase. – Dottie Walters

If you do not feel yourself growing in your work and your life broadening and deepening, if your task is not a perpetual tonic to you, you have not found your place. – Orson Swett Marden

How long should you try? Until. – Jim Rohn

We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance. – Harrison Ford

Why are we trying so hard to fit in, when you’re born to stand out. – Oliver James

Working Moms are People too!

Working Moms Unite!  I came across this book, "I was a really GOOD MOM before I had kids - reinventing modern motherhood" and I had to pick it up.  Not only is this book written by two working Moms, but they are from the marketing field (Trisha Ashworth is from the Advertising realm and Amy Nobile is a PR Exec.) so I can relate to them on more than one level.

We all have been there ... super mom, super wife, super career executive ... super tired!  We've all second guessed ourselves 100 times a day and hate to admit, even to our inner most selves that there must be more to life than board meetings, sales meetings, parent/teacher meetings, community meetings and the whole negotiation meeting between toddlers and tired parents!  It is a comforting read for exhausted, over worked moms everywhere ... we are not alone sister!

If you are like me stuck in that sandwich generation, somewhere between June Cleaver, Gloria Steinem and Madonna, this book is for you.  It's nice to know that we are not alone. These ladies have other books too and a blog if you like what they have to say.  Maybe you'll share some of the dirty little secrets posted there too.

Here's the link ...
http://www.reallygoodmom.com/books/

Taking the Mystery out of QR codes at Trade Shows

If you are like me, QR codes are a bit of a mystery. I found some great information that helps take the mystery out of how to use QR codes at trade show events.

 If you've attended a trade show, you've probably left with a bag packed full of promotional products, business cards, and sales collateral.  We all have the best intentions when we add something to our swag bags, but the reality of our busy lives sets in the second we walk out of the trade show and get into our cars. Materials collected at a trade show often get thrown out immediately or discarded after sitting in a corner of our office for months.

If your company uses tradeshows as a marketing tactic, QR (quick response) codes can help you avoid the inevitable doom of the tradeshow-bag black hole. QR codes are the square-shaped, (usually) black-and-white barcodes that we've all seen popping up on billboards, in magazines, and in commercials. When a QR code is scanned by a smartphone, it typically opens an informational Web page or video.

QR codes are catching on quickly in the US now that more than 35% of American adults own smartphones. In fact, QR code usage shot up 4,549% in Q1 of 2011 alone, with 9 out of 10 scans being done to find more information about a product or service.

So, how can QR codes help you make an impact at a tradeshow?

1. Skip the business card
A QR code can store your contact information so that scanning it with a smartphone creates an entry in the smartphone's address book. Stick your personal QR code on your tradeshow name badge (print it on a label), and encourage new business contacts to scan it to ensure your business card doesn't get lost in the shuffle. It will also help your new contact recognize your name when you make a follow-up call after the tradeshow.

2. Stop wasting paper on marketing collateral
Companies love decorating their tradeshow tables with dozens of flyers created by the marketing team to promote each product or service. When new potential business leads scoop-up flyers and add them to their overflowing swag bags, we get excited about possibly scoring a new lead. But how can we know what the passerby does with our flyer? Does she read it? Share it? Store it? Throw it away?
Instead of distributing hard copies of marketing materials, you can distribute electronic copies via email. Simply create a QR code that triggers an automatic email when it is scanned by a smartphone. The email can contain a preformatted message from your company along with links to your sales materials.
QR codes are a great solution for marketers because your materials will escape the clutter of the tradeshow bag and make their way into your prospects' email inboxes, all the while helping you cut down on the cost of printing and transporting sales sheets.

Depending on your in-house technology capabilities, you could do one of the following:
- Contact a QR code hosting company and ask about all-in-one solutions.
- Link your QR code to a data-capture landing page linked to your email marketing software. Include a few simple fields for the user to complete—such as name, phone number, and email address—and sync the form with a subscriber list that automatically sends a welcome email.

3. Don't force people to visit your table
You don't need to limit your use of QR codes to your table display. You can include your QR code in your tradeshow directory ad, or print it next to your logo on the event signage. That is particularly effective if you are sponsoring a luncheon table and get to put signage in the centerpiece. You will have a captive audience at the table who might be curious about your QR code.

Five important things to consider before using QR codes

1. QR codes should be generated using a shortened URL. The longer the URL, the denser the QR code. The denser the QR code, the harder it is for a scanning app to read it.
2. QR codes don't always scan the same way across every smartphone platform, so make sure to test it on an iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry before you launch.
3. When you are testing, take into account the distance that most users will be scanning your code from. Is it going to appear on an event banner? The back of your booth? On your table-top display? The farther away the user, the larger the code needs to be.
4. QR codes don't need to appear in black and white, but darker colors definitely work better. Steer clear of pale colors, such as yellow and pink.
5. Not everyone knows what a QR code is, so you might consider adding a line of instructions and a recommended QR-code scanner.
Consider contacting a QR code hosting company that can create and test your code across multiple smartphone platforms and recommend the size needed based on your intended usage. By using a hosting company, you can access detailed usage statistics and guarantee the QR code will continue working as expected throughout the life of your campaign.
Free QR code generators are popping up online and can be tempting to use—especially if you are on a budget—but if your QR code doesn't work the first time someone tries to scan it, the effectiveness of your campaign will start to decrease.

Some insights I think give QR’s some added punch.
1. You might want to check these special QR codes developed by Pic2go - enabling event participants to automatically share their event photos to Facebook. That's a great way to increase on-line engagement for your events and trade show. http://www.pic2go.com/events

2. Adding color and personality to qr codes is valuable. Check out the colorful unique 3D designs that anyone can use off-the-shelf at QR-codeworld.com

3. Using Business card stickers (sometimes customized for that particular trade show/conference), QR Code Tshirts and the ever popular QR Code Temporary Tattoos found at http://www.StickerScan.com

4. Enlarge the QR code to a 12 x 12 size, laminated it and use velcro to put on front of the counter, while there was also one on a stand on top of the counter.

QR codes are here to stay, it's just up to creativity, a little strategy, and thought into the end user's interaction.